Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/199)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

whereas you were a child (1) and did not do what he did.’

“The child said, ‘My Lord, it was You (2) who caused me to die. If [You had] kept me alive, I would have performed (3) deeds like his (4).’

“He replied, ‘I acted in your best interest, for I knew that if you reached maturity, you would disbelieve. That is why I took your life.’

“The third brother then cried out from the depths of the Fire, saying, ‘My Lord, why did You not take my life (5) before maturity, just as You took the life of my younger brother? That would also have been in my best interest (6).’”

It is said (7) that when this objection was put to him, he was left without an answer (8). This is because they hold that He is obligated to treat equivalent cases justly and to do for each of them what is most beneficial (9). Yet here (10), He did [for one of them what was] (11) most beneficial in their view, but not for the other. This is not the place to elaborate upon that.

Since this is so, their likening of Allah to His creation is invalidated, and these theologians said to them:

(1) The phrase “whereas you were a child” is omitted from (ʿA). (2) (N) reads: “then You.” (3) (N) reads: “Had You kept me alive, I would have acted.” (4) (A) and (B) read: “I would have done likewise.” (5) (A) reads: “Why did You not take my life?”; (B): “Why was it that You did not take my life?” (6) (N) reads: “for a benefit.” (7) (A) reads: “Then he said”; (B): “It is said.” (8) Al-Subkī related this debate in his biography of al-Ashʿarī in *Tabaqāt al-Shāfiʿiyya*, 3:356. At its conclusion, he wrote: “I say: This is a famous debate, and our shaykh al-Dhahabī also related it.” See Dr. Hammūda Gharāba, *al-Ashʿarī*, may Allah have mercy on him, pp. [0–9] 5–66, al-Risāla Press, Cairo, 1953. (9) (ʿA) reads: “what is most beneficial for each of them”; (A) and (B): “what is most beneficial for each of the two.” (10) (ʿA) reads: “And this.” (11) The words between square brackets are omitted from (N).

وَأَنْتَ صَغِيرٌ (١) لَمْ تَعْمَلْ عَمَلَهُ. قَالَ: يَا رَبِّ أَنْتَ (٢) أَمَتَّنِي، فَلَوْ [كُنْتَ] أَبْقَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ (٣) مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ (٤) . فَقَالَ: عَمِلْتُ مَصْلَحَتَكَ ; لِأَنِّي عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ لَوْ بَلَغْتَ لَكَفَرْتَ، فَلِهَذَا اخْتَرَمْتُكَ. فَصَاحَ الثَّالِثُ مِنْ أَطْبَاقِ النَّارِ، وَقَالَ يَا رَبِّ هَلَّا اخْتَرَمْتَنِي (٥) قَبْلَ الْبُلُوغِ كَمَا اخْتَرَمْتَ أَخِي الصَّغِيرَ؟ فَإِنَّ هَذَا كَانَ مَصْلَحَةً (٦) فِي حَقِّي أَيْضًا. فَيُقَالُ (٧) : إِنَّهُ لَمَّا أَوْرَدَ عَلَيْهِ هَذَا انْقَطَعَ (٨) . وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُمْ يُوجِبُونَ عَلَيْهِ الْعَدْلَ بَيْنَ الْمُتَمَاثِلَيْنِ وَأَنْ يَفْعَلَ بِكُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا مَا هُوَ أَصْلَحُ (٩) ، وَهُنَا (١٠) قَدْ فَعَلَ [بِأَحَدِهِمَا مَا هُوَ] (١١) الْأَصْلَحُ عِنْدَهُمْ دُونَ الْآخَرِ. وَلَيْسَ هَذَا مَوْضِعَ بَسْطِ ذَلِكَ. وَإِذَا كَانَ الْأَمْرُ كَذَلِكَ بَطَلَ تَشْبِيهُهُمْ لِلَّهِ بِخَلْقِهِ، وَقَالَ لَهُمْ هَؤُلَاءِ:

(١) عِبَارَةُ " وَأَنْتَ صَغِيرٌ " سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ع) . (٢) ن: فَأَنْتَ. (٣) ن: فَلَوْ أَبْقَيْتَنِي لَكُنْتُ أَعْمَلُ. (٤) أ، ب: أَعْمَلُ مِثْلَهُ. (٥) أ: لِمَ لَا اخْتَرَمْتَنِي ; ب: لِمَ مَا اخْتَرَمْتَنِي. (٦) ن: لِمَصْلَحَةٍ. (٧) أ: فَقَالَ ; ب: يُقَالُ. (٨) رَوَى هَذِهِ الْمُنَاظَرَةَ السُّبْكِيُّ فِي تَرْجَمَةِ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ فِي طَبَقَاتِ الشَّافِعِيَّةِ ٣ ٣٥٦ وَقَالَ فِي آخِرِهَا: قُلْتُ: هَذِهِ مُنَاظَرَةٌ شَهِيرَةٌ، وَقَدْ حَكَاهَا شَيْخُنَا الذَّهَبِيُّ، وَانْظُرْ كِتَابَ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ لِلدُّكْتُورِ حَمُّودَة غَرَابَة رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٥ - ٦٦ ط، مَطْبَعَةِ الرِّسَالَةِ، الْقَاهِرَةِ، ١٩٥٣. (٩) ع: بِكُلٍّ مِنْهُمُ الْأَصْلَحَ أ، ب: لِكُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا الْأَصْلَحَ. (١٠) ع: وَهَذَا. (١١) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن)